After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

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In 'Silver Linings Playbook' Bradley Cooper's bi- polar character, newly released from a psychiatric hospital, is determined to regain the love of his estranged wife, who he is bound by a restraining order from getting within 500 yards of. Into his life comes Jennifer Lawrence's 'Tiffany,' a straight talking widow working through her own 'issues' as she deals with her husband's death. What evolves from here is the effect these two damaged and abrasive individuals have on each other in a progressively funny, touching and yes, uplifting film.

Indeed it is an often laugh out loud experience with much of the humour coming from both characters inability not to say whatever is on their mind. Occasionally though, just as you are laughing, a scene edges into drama and reveals the darker side of their personalities and how their behaviour affects those close to them and we are reminded that these characters are not simply just `wacky' or `quirky' but are complex people living with a degree of mental illness that sometimes manifests itself through frustration and violence.

Bradley Cooper is good in the lead role but the stand out is Jennifer Lawrence who sparkles when on screen and proves here that she can handle comedy as well as sci- fi {'Hunger Games'} and indie {'Winter's Bone.'} The praise she has gotten for this role is fully justified. Watch the scene where she takes on Robert Deniro {as Cooper's father} to be impressed by her talent.

In the last quarter the film basically ditches the theme of mental illness and lets it's 'rom com' heart loose going for a more typical 'Hollywood' ending as it races towards a largely sentiment and schmaltz free conclusion in a dance competition plot climax.

A hugely enjoyable and funny film that should'nt be taken too seriously and is probably only worth 4 stars but gets an extra one just for Jennifer Lawrence.

In a year of predictable,forgettable movies , "Silver Linings Playbook" is by far the best film that I have seen so far. It stands out by a mile from all of the dross that I have watched in the cinema and on DVD. It has great acting, memorable characterisation and likeable (if often abrasive) characters. The film also portrays mental illness in an exceptional way, as both of the leading figures are mentally disturbed following bereavement and marital break up.Bradley Cooper plays a man who has just been released from a mental institution following a violent assault on his wife's lover after he caught them in flagrante in the shower together. However Cooper believes that despite his wife's restraining order he can fix up their marriage again. Cooper starts the film off as a manic character who perhaps should have stayed in an institution,rather than return to live with his parents. However he calms down a lot after he meets Jennifer Lawrence's Tiffany, a recently widowed young woman who has gone off the rails like him. Together they form a friendship which calms them both down and they start dancing together as therapy and enter a competition. However Cooper still seems fixated on reconciling with his wife , while Lawrence forms deep feelings for him. Will the well matched pair get it together in the end and help put an end to the mania and craziness that is affecting their lives ? I liked this film as it was ultimately warm hearted and I thought how lucky Cooper's character was to be surrounded by so much love and support from family and friends, when without that he could have been condemned to a life in a mental institution. In reality characters like him may well be shunned by former friends, by the opposite sex and rejected by embarrassed family members.

It might be Jennifer Lawrence who nabbed the Oscar, but this film is a real step up for Cooper. The premise is simple, two mentally unstable people find away to cope by being together, and unfortunately the whole thing is a little predictable.That said, the film is full of great performances that really sizzle. I particularly liked De Niro's turn as a OCD bookmaker, and the sparks between Lawrence and Cooper are excellent.Not quite light-hearted enough to be an out-right rom-com, but plenty of humour keeps the topic of mental illness from becoming too somber and depressing.Touches of Juno and Little Miss Sunshine.

Based on the novel by Matthew Quick (an excellent adaption, by the way - if you liked the film you'll almost certainly enjoy the book, and vice versa), this is an original and thought-provoking romantic comedy, but don't let those two words' usual Hollywood connotations put you off.

The actual story centres on two troubled individuals each trying to come to terms with tragedy and mental illness in their lives, and their impact on those around them, who find themselves drawn together despite themselves.

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are both absolutely glorious (Lawrence rightly won an oscar for her performance, Cooper was nominated but lost out, almost inevitably, to Day-Lewis' Lincoln), and the film's worth watching just for these two alone, though the supporting cast is equally fantastic (yet more nominations!). The subtle weaving of pathos and hope with humour and humanity really makes this film stand out. I saw Ruby Sparks at around the same time, too, and I'd put them together as two of my favourite films of the year.

Silver Linings Playbook has become one of my favourite films altogether.